The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-06-10
GOSSIP ABOUT THE OLDEST OF THE
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENTS.
How He Wheeled ABarrel of Apples on
Wager-His Wonderful Career at
washington-His 10000 Autographs.
A Great Friend of summer.


he has made one fortune and spent two in
Washington newspaper work. During all
his life be has been the associate of public
men, and now, at 81, he has, perhaps, as wide
an acquaintance as any man in the United
States. He is Massachusetts, product His
father originally intended him for the law,
and sent him to Paris to study in the schools
there. The boy spent five years abroad, and
in this time he travelled extensively over
Europe, went to Constantinople and thence
to Egypt. ***
At Cairo he found himself out of money.
His bankers were the Rothschilds, and he had
expected remittance from them at this
point. He found that his money had not ar
rived and that he had only seventy-fiv cents
in his pockets. He at once went TO the Amer
ican authorities at Cairo, and they had such
confidence i'll him that they advanced him
enough to go up the Nile. When he returned
the matter straight
Maj Poore's father was man of consider
able prominence He was a merchant in New
York and was collector as well.
1t was while he was abroad that the young
man began his writing and his first letters were
sent to his friends and not to the newspapers.
These friends thought SO much of the letters
that they gave them to the papers for publi-
cation, and Ben: Perley Poore was very
proud when he received commission from
The Boston Atlas to write foreign letters for
it. By the time he returned to America he
had become SO fond of writing that he con-
cluded not to devote himself to the law, but
to go into the newspaper business, and after
his return he drifted to Washington. His
first visit to Washington was made just sixty
years ago. and it was just fifty years ago that
he went with his father to visit Andrew
jackson at the Hermitage.
At this time he asked Jackson for his auto
graph, and Jackson gave it to him, telling
him he did not see why people wanted
piece of his handwriting. This was the be-
ginning of Ben: Perley Poores autograph
collection, and it was the first of the $4,000
and more autographs which he has now filed
away. Maj. Poore has been a collector all his
life, and he has collected everything. Hehas
hundreds of prints of George Washington, and
he has relics of nearly every prominent man
in the United States. His home at Indian
Hill, near Newburyport, is perfect museum
of antiquities and curiositi,s, ans! wln Ben:
Perley Poore as guide a visii tn i, Is worth q
trip across the continent. Maj Poore has
not, however. made a business of collecting
autographs after the style of the autograph
fiend of today. He said to me not long ago:
~ never wrote to man for his aut, -. h
in my life. I nave merely saved the things
that have come to ME. | do not believe III
autograph hunting, and I would not give
cent for the signature of any man. Auto
graphs should not be collected as you collect
the front teeth or the ingernail parings of
any mar. If there is no sentiment or associa-
tion connected with the llalie it is not worth
keeping"
One of Maj. Poore's autograph books is en-
titled aFrom Congo to Congress" It is made
up of autographs, pictures and relics which,
taken together, describe the story of Ameri-
can slavery and it's abolition. 1t is wonder
full book, and it would bring its weight in
gold at auction
Mai Poore has been long noted as an after
dinner talker, and he has been diner out
all his life There are few public men whose
legs have not touched his under some ones
mahogany, and one of his collections COM
prises set of the bills of fare of the dinners
he has sat down to. These represent oceans
of champagne. droves of beeves and thou
sands of terrapln. They have given Maj.
Poore's form an unusual fullness, ami now,
at 67, he is one of the heavy weights of Wash
ington He is rather distinguished looking
character, too He has large head, bright,
blue eyes and strong, pleasant, blonde face.
His hair is mixed with gray, and his full, red
beard has silver threads among the gold.
Prior to his illness he moved around energet-
ically. and the amount of newspaper work
that he has been doing is wonderful. He is
very fast writer, and specimen of his speed
NAV he seen in the Life of Grant, which he
wrote lust at the time Grant died. A pub
Usher came to him and said: Major, I want
a Life of Grant, to contain $4,000 words,
and must have it in two months. If you
viii write it for me will pay you so much
for it.n This Maj Poore agreed to, on eondi-
ton that they would furnish him with
stenngrapher They did so, and lie dictated
$500 words day and had the whole COM
pleted before the time agreed upon. His
"reminiscences, which were recently pub
lsled, were largely dictated, and he had q
great amount of matter which he was not
able to incorporate in them. He has already
made over 81 600 out of the book, and among
the chapters are papers for which he pre-
viously was paid $1,000 by The Atlantic
Monthly. He has worked the same matter
over il, newspaper form in times past, and SO
you see he is getting pretty nice thing out
of his recollections.
Ben: Perley Poore always signs himself
with a colon, "Ben: Perley Poore," and his
gray hair would rise i'll holy horror if his
name was printed in any other way. 1t was
in this way that Geo: Washington signed
himself, and it was thus that Thos: Jefferson
affixed his signature, and Poore is nothing if
not ancient. He writes nice hand, and his
penmanship is as pretty as any of that In his
immense autograph collection.
No one has ever impeached Poore's honesty,
and his long life as a correspondent here is
untainted with charge of lobbying. His
word is as good as his bond, and this recalls
a bet which he had at the time that Fremont
was candidate against Buchanan for the
presidency. Poore wagered that Fremont
would be elected, and the wager was that the
loser of the bet should wheel barrel of APP
ples iii wheelbarrow from Newburyport to
Boston, The distance was thirty seven miles,
and the day after the election Maj. Poore
started, amid the cheers of an enthusiastic
multitude, with his wheelbarrow and apples.
He was accompanied by reporter OF Bos-
ton paper to see that the major did not re-
duce the weight of the freight by eating up
the apples. He reached Boston on the morn
ing of the third day, and band and mill
tary escort led him through the crowded
streets to the fremont house. Here he found
the winner Of the wager, and Maj. Poore,
mounting the barrel Of apples, delivered
them to him in a patriotic speech, which was
highly applauded.
LII his pretty home at Indian Hill Maj.
Poore has cane with quaint top in carved
ivory which Abraham Lincoln gave to Sena-
tor Summer and which has In turn come to
Maj Pnore It Is curious carving, repre-
senting. the serpent Of secession climbing up
the doves nest of the American Union, and
over this there is an eagle holding tile folds OF
the flag over the nest to keep away the iu-
truder. Poore was a great friend Of Summer.
and be was also very strong friend of Sem
ator Anthony ami Gen. Burnside Anthony
aud Burnside were known rs the Damon and
Pytlias Of the United States senate, and